Featured: 2-4-2014 Vocabulary Notebook

Vocabulary Notebook provides a a set of tools for schools and teachers to help students learn vocabulary faster using technology, making it more contemporary and engaging.

 

With the full Vocabulary Notebook for schools, students will have Cloud Accounts and teachers will have a dashboard to manage and get feedback about their students.

 

Key Teacher Dashboard features:

• Check your students' most important and unknown words.
• See interactive charts with stats about your students.
• See your student's tests scores and number of words.
• Suggest words to your students.

Vocabulary Notebook is easy for students to use. Just install the app and start to type those words you always forget. Change the importance of a word and mark it as "known" or "not known" whenever you want.

 

Students are able to filter words by importance or categories, for example, showing only words related to “work”. Sort words alphabetically or display only those words, phrasal verbs, or idioms that you don't know.

 

The test tool will randomly select words according to your filters and it will ask you to select whether you know them or not. Those words you don't know will automatically be marked as "not known", making it easier to take another look at them later.

 

Cloud Accounts and the web app synchronize with students’ mobile apps for iOS and Android. 

 Watch a video overview of Vocabulary Notebook

 

Teachers can discover which words students don't know as well as the categories they use most. With Vocabulary Notebook, teachers are able to send lists of vocabulary to their students.

 

With the Teacher Dashboard, you will see key information about your students. See stats like the number of words each student has, their average score in self-assessment tests, how often they use the app, and more. 

 

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Clever Student

You needn’t be a math teacher to see the kid’s reasoning...

 

From Can You Spot The Lack Of Student Understanding? by Jeff Dunn

Featured: 12-19-2013 Class Charts

With Class Charts you get data-rich seating charts and streamlined behavior management tools. It is even possible to collaborate with other teachers and work together to address behavior issues.

 

Class Charts lets you optionally include and display key data about each student which can be used to intelligently position students in the classroom to maximize learning. Use icons or photos to identify students.

 

The seating plans you create in Class Charts can also be a behavior management tool which you can use collaboratively with colleagues to track and analyse student behavior. Quickly give behavior points and get detailed reports of behavior for classes or individual pupils. 

 

You can add students individually with the Quick Add feature or you can upload a spreadsheet containing all student data. 

 

 

Class Charts uses industry-standard SSL encryption for data transfer and key database fields, safeguarding student information. They are registered with the Data Commissioner* and all staff have enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks. 

 

 Watch a video overview of Class Charts

 

Class Charts works on any Internet-enabled device, so there is no software to download or install, and Class Charts is totally free to use.

 

*The UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

 

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Special Offer to PBworks Education Users

PBworks has partnered with ApplyKit to offer PBworks educators and education users and their students a free tool to manage all the parts of the college application process.

 

What ApplyKit can do for your students:

• Research more than 9,000 two- and four-year colleges throughout North America.
• Apply to multiple colleges (not just Common App schools) from one online location and track your progress with checklists and analytics.
• Stay on top of upcoming deadlines, so that you never miss an application component.
• Share your progress with recommenders, consultants, and parents who will receive automatic updates on your progress.

Educators or mentors can manage the progress of all their students using the ApplyKit educator dashboard.

 

As a special bonus, any high school that uses or upgrades to PBworks Campus Edition can get the premium version of ApplyKit for free (normally priced at $99 per account) for every current student. 

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Featured: 12-12-2013 Anki

Anki is a program which has been designed to make remembering things easier. Decrease the time spent studying, or increase the amount you learn.

People who need to remember things can benefit from Anki. It can be applied to study all kinds of content, supporting images, audio, videos, and LaTeX for science/mathematics.

Some possible uses for Anki might include language learning, studying for professional exams, memorizing names and faces, brushing up on geography, and more.

Features:

• The free AnkiWeb synchronization service keeps your cards in sync across multiple devices.
• Anki has a numerous options for customization, from card layout to review timing.
• Embed audio clips, images, videos and scientific markup on your cards, with precise control over how it's shown.
• Anki can handle decks of more than 100,000 cards.
• It's fully extensible with a large number of add-ons available.

 Watch an Ankitutorial

AnkiWeb is a free companion to the downloadable version of Anki and can be used to review online when you don't have access to your home computer.

Anki works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, any device with a web browser.

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Featured: 6-24-2013 Student Cultural Exchange

Student Cultural Exchange provides immersion-based travel opportunities designed to give American and international student travelers the opportunity to develop deep, lifetime connections with previously unknown people and places.

Student Cultural Exchange immersion-based programs are designed to fill a perceived void in the overall education of international students studying in the US. SCE programs strive to provide a structured, fun, and inspiring setting where international students can immerse themselves in American culture and activities.

SCE’s international programs aim to get young people out of their comfort zonesand into new, unfamiliar places. Unique programs stress the importance of developing deeper connections with the people and places the students visit. The goal is to transform travelers to mature global citizens.

Student Cultural Exchange acknowledges that their varied program themes and locations may present different risks and potential hazards. The safety of their travelers is a primary objective from the planning and design to the implementation and completion of programs.

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Featured: 6-13-2013 Flipgrid

Using Flipgrid, teachers create grids of short, discussion-style questions that students respond to through recorded videos.

Begin by creating grids and adding questions. A Flipgrid account lets you can create up to four grids free. Grids can be classes, sections, groups of students, or any collection of users interested in a common set of questions. A grid can contain an unlimited number of questions, and each question can accommodate an unlimited number of responses. Questions are short, text-based prompts that can include links to websites or documents.

Students respond with video of their own. Students can receive email updates when new questions are added to grids they follow. You can easily email a link to a grid or an individual question. Students respond by snapping a thumbnail photo with their webcam, recording their video response as many times as they need, and submitting their video.

There are several ways students can connect with their personal videos and those of their peers: by likes and direct links, as well as Twitter, Blog, and Facebook integration. Teachers control whether videos can be shared outside of Flipgrid.

 Watch a video demo of Flipgrid

Flipgrid uses a streamlined single-page administration tool for teachers to create, manage, and share grids with students and colleagues.

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Featured: 4/11/2013 Math for Morons Like Us [Math]

Math for Morons Like Us is a site created by students for students. You'll find tutorials, sample problems, and quizzes, even a place to submit questions. A formula database gives quick access and explanations to all those tricky formulas.

The creators of Math for Morons Like Us hope this site will clarify some of those confusing math concepts and help you better understand important math math ideas.

Math for Morons Like Us covers everything from pre-algebra to calculus. In the Learn section, you will find tutorials, sample problems, and quizzes. This site is designed with the assumption that you know some of the basic concepts but need some reinforcement, or you want to review things you learned in the past.  A short quiz after each tutorial lets you  test yourself on what you've just learned or reviewed.

You can communicate with others using the site's Message Board where someone else can be asked for some quick help. And, there is a separate Calculus Message Board for calc students only.

Use the Formula Database to search for commonly used formulas.  You can also add new equations to the collection.


The Educators section of Math for Morons Like Us can become a useful resource for teachers. For example, the teacher may let accelerated students get an introduction to the next math level.

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Featured: 3/21/2013 Ticket to Reading Rewards [Reading]

Ticket To Reading Rewards is a reading incentive program sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation intended to encourage middle school students to read books outside the classroom.

Ticket To Reading Rewards has three primary components:

• Reading Component-Students are encouraged to read to earn rewards for participating and for reading books.
• Ticket/Campus Visit Component-The NABC Foundation provides free tickets to local college games or practices to all students who enter the program. The goal this year is to distribute 50,000 tickets to participants.
• Coaching/Mentoring Component-The NABC Foundation often runs a Coach the Coaches clinic for middle school basketball coaches in each school district. The focus is not only on basketball techniques, but also on motivating coaches to encourage their players to reach a high level of reward in the program and to provide leadership within the school to promote reading.

Rewards earned by participants in Ticket To Reading Rewards have included subscriptions to Sports Illustrated for Kids, miniature basketball hoops, medals, trophies, basketballs autographed by NCAA coaches, books, and gift certificates.  The top reader in each school receives special recognition, and schools compete against each other for a coveted award.

Watch a video about Ticket To Reading Rewards

The Ticket To Reading Rewards program was founded in 2002 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation. Students have read an estimated 4 million books, earned nearly 1 million rewards, and attended 125,000 local men's and women's NCAA basketball games at no cost to schools or students.

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Featured: 2/4/2013 Homework Help [Math]

Homework Help provides after school math support to students in grades 7-10 (aged 12-15) when teachers or parents are unavailable to help.



Homework Help focuses on math help for students in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10. Students have access to both guided and independent learning in a unique environment that combines technology and personal interaction.

Features of the site include:

• Ask A Tutor Chat Rooms
• Listen & Learn presentations with certified teachers
• Interactive Tutorials
• Best Sessions

Homework Help tutors are Ontario (Canada) Certified Teachers. Each interaction centers around understanding and comprehension. Students engage in the process and use their individual skills. Students learn how to find answers. Check out Best Sessions to see how tutors address student questions.



Homework Help provides assistance with understanding math homework when students are outside of the school setting. The Ask A Tutor Chat room enables students to get individualized help in an environment that is safe and anonymous. The chat queue allows students to see the questions posed by their peers, providing them with another opportunity for learning and emphasizing that everyone has questions.

Watch a video introduction to Homework Help

Homework Help is available 24/7, and the tutors are available during the school year, Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm ET. Full access to Homework Help requires registration, which is easy and free of charge. Online tutoring services are offered free of charge to Ontario students in grades 7 to 10 attending a public school.

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COD - 8/20/2012 - Socrative [Tools]

Socrative is a smart student response system that makes teachers able to engage their students with educational exercises and games. Socrative apps are simple and run on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. It takes just seconds to login.

Teachers login to Socrative using their device and choose an activity. Students simply login with their devices and interact in real time with the content. Student responses are visually represented for multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions.

Teachers can view reports online as a Google spreadsheet or receive an Excel file by email.

The Socrative student response service is free for everyone, with no restrictions, as part of their beta product launch. There is no registration or usage fee, and no credit card details are required.

Watch a video introduction to Socrative

The Socrative browser-based solution supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome browsers running under any OS. The mobile apps are supported for iOS and Android.

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COD - 5/23/2012 - ThinkBinder [Study]

ThinkBinder means to change how students study with their peers. They have constructed a study group environment around a simple, focused set of tools to allow you to work more efficiently.

ThinkBinder believes that group discussions, shared notes, and real-time interactions should be maintained in a private hub uncluttered by e-mail and generic cloud solutions.

ThinkBinder has tools to:

• Discuss. Ask questions, upload videos, share links, and more.
• Chat. Study live with your peers via text and video chat.
• Share. Share videos, pictures, and links directly with their bookmark button.
• Collaborate. Work on problems together with a collaborative whiteboard.
• Manage. Keep your group calendar and files organized in the cloud for easy access.

Watch a video: Meet ThinkBinder

ThinkBinder tools are designed to facilitate seamless communication and collaboration. Sign on and, all in one place, ask a question about homework, work through a problem on a collaborative whiteboard, then video chat with study partners.

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Spark Supports Creative Kids In The Pittsburgh Region

Spark, a program of The Sprout Fund, creates a sustainable support structure for the Kids+Creativity Network, a group of people in the Pittsburgh region working together across disciplines to provide all young people with opportunities to learn and be creative.

Spark provides catalytic support, technical assistance, knowledge sharing, and enhanced communications to the Kids+Creativity Network. The goal is to "spark" more relevant and imaginative learning opportunities that make compelling use of technology, media, and the arts.

Spark serves two distinct groups:

• Kids and adolescents aged 18 and younger, as well as their families and caregivers
• Educators, technologists, media producers, researchers, grantmakers, entrepreneurs, cultural leaders, and other professions serving youth

Watch Pittsburgh: Building a Regional Learning Network

Spark hopes to build greater awareness of and access to exceptional learning experiences for children, youth, and families in the Pittsburgh region.

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Learning to be Mentally Tough

Where do kids learn to be mentally tough and resilient today? Have "helicopter parents" crippled the ability of their children to cope with adversity and to rebound from failures and disappointments?

To be mentally tough is to resist the urge to give up in the face of failure, to maintain focus and determination in pursuit of one’s goals, and to emerge from adversity even stronger than before.

This is the opening paragraph from Annie Murphy Paul's TIME Ideas article Can You Instill Mental Toughness?Read more here.

Long ago, when I was coaching football in Virginia, one of my fellow coaches talked often about how his high school coach had preached mental toughness to him and his teammates. He told a story about being caught up in whitewater. Remembering the lessons his coach had taught him about staying mentally tough and not giving up probably saved his life.

Optimistic thinking is one of the keys to being mentally tough, seeing failure as temporary and changeable. Being mentally tough is undermined by feelings that failures are permanent and beyond one's control.

A situation in which I sometimes saw this demonstrated would occur in the many summer basketball camps I worked when I was younger. Often, a girl who suffered a serious injury would be experiencing her first real physical damage. Consequently, because she hadn't yet learned that as bad as it might feel now, it could be fixed and would pass in time, she would see this as a permanent, irreversible catastrophe and react in proportion to this perception. 

I have seen many students who similarly lack the mental qualities to deal with their lack of academic success, and they see their struggles as catastrophic, unchangeable, and beyond their ability to manage or correct them. Sometimes kids experienced their first failures and feelings of "not knowing what's going on" in the algebra and geometry courses I taught. They had sailed through school with little or no difficulty up that point. Then, they had to learn how to cope with frustration and confusion more than with math.

As teachers, we need to work with kids to instill those qualities that will enable them to be mentally tough. We need to help them see that mistakes are normal, that they can learn from their setbacks, that they are temporary and fixable.

But, this won't happen if we fixate on right or wrong answers and not on the process. We should encourage students to learn how to review and analyze their procedure, finding and fixing the flaws. Teach kids that mistakes are not irreversible disasters.

ACLU-MN Guide to Students' Social Media Privacy

This document was created by ACLU-MN

Social Media Rights for Students

COD - 1/18/2012 - OpenStudy [Study]

 

OpenStudy is a student-centered social learning network for asking questions, giving help, and connecting with other students studying the same things.

The mission of OpenStudy is “to make the world one large study group, regardless of school, location, or background.”

Students can connect with learners studying the same things they are. They can ask questions, and get answers from students just like them. Over 100,000 students from 170 countries and 1600 schools are studying with OpenStudy.

OpenStudy asks all members to abide by few core principles, the OpenStudy Code of Conduct. An OpenStudier will:

• Be Nice - Stay positive, be friendly, and not mean.
• Be Helpful - Encourage learners that need help, and be patient while helping.
• Be Appreciative - Thank people for taking the time and effort to be helpful.

 

View a video introduction to OpenStudy

OpenStudy is a for profit business located in Atlanta funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Georgia Research Alliance.

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